Fifth Dawn

[Fellfrosch]

I've often thought that the "only four per deck" rule was ripe for being broken, and I'm pleased to see that they've finally done it--and with rats, no less! Huzzah!

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/as14

[Prometheus]

The rat tribe was waiting for something like Relentless Rats for sure. Swarm of Rats is a little more tribal in focusing on the whole rat tribe, but they wouldn't mind seeing some Relentless Rats around at all. Chittering Rats, Carrion Rats, and Ravenous Rats would be great in a solid rat deck as well...would you dare include any other kinds of cards? The deck could still use some card drawing if nothing else.

[Fellfrosch]

The article with the preview in it mentions Nantuko Shrine, which is really funny. And there's that whole series of echoing cards from Mirrodin that key off of card name, but I think echoing courage is the only one that would really work, and it's kind of boring (just s cheap Overrun). I think the best way to build a Relentless Rat deck  is to stock it with stuff you need to clear the way for your swarm--disnechants and spot removal and maybe some counters. After all, if you're attacking with five 6/6 creatures, then six 7/7 creatures, etc. etc., you don't need much else.

[Prometheus]

I've been taking a look at the Fifth Dawn spoiler on www.mtgnews.com, and I'm finding quite a number of things I'm getting eager to try out. Some samples:

White:
Retaliate - destroys all creatures that damaged you that turn.
Steelshaper's Gift - cheap tutoring for equipment. Should be powerful at the Prerelease.
Vanquish - destroys a blocking creature. Odd for white.

Blue:
Eyes of the Watcher - I've liked Unifying Theory and the Opt effect for some time. This isn't quite both, but it's close.
Serum Visions - This is Opt. On steroids.

Black:
Mephidross Vampire - Makes all your creatures vampires. Now I've got to make an angel/vampire deck or something. Very cool flavor.
Night's Whisper - I've been looking for a good source of black card drawing for a while. Skulltap didn't quite cut it, but this looks good.

Red:
Ion Storm - a great offense for a charge counter or Arcbound deck. Turning counters into Shock is cool.
Magma Jet - Shock gets Scry for one colorless mana. I like it.

Green:
Eternal Witness - Elven Cache at a cheaper price and with a 2/1 body. No complaints there.

Artifact:
Clearwater Goblet - repeatable life gain is always welcome, and Sunburst is a great mechanic for it.
Myr Servitor - this is classic. A creature that cooperates with itself to stay in play.
Paradise Mantle - Who else wants to be a Birds of Paradise?
Summoner's Egg - Another card I'm not sure should have seen print. This makes reanimation far too easy. On the other hand, I hope I get one.
Wayfarer's Bauble - yet another landgrabbing instrument. Great for any nongreen deck. In green, it'd need some kind of repeatable recursion effect to outdo Rampant Growth. Good thing it's common, though. I may need a lot of these.

I got too lazy to mention the neat little cycle of semi-color dependent equipment cards that can be attatched at instant speed with the right mana. Can't argue with that, espeically since I'd been waiting for a good equipment that gives first strike. (Yes the trident from Darksteel is there, but it's second effect boosted the cost too much. This is nicer.)

[Fellfrosch]

Destroying a blocking creature seems very normal for white. White has a ton of effects, many of them removal, that only work against attacking or blocking characters.

[Prometheus]

I don't remember seeing anything similar to that outside of the damaging effects. Destroying attacking creatures is common in white, but it usually isn't so aggressive in its 'destroy' effects in my experience.

Just out of curiousity, I did a search on white spells with the terms 'destroy' and 'blocker' in them with moxdiamond's search engine, and came up with only one hit, Infinite Authority, which was printed only in Legends.

Admittedly, there are a good number of effects that can deal damage to blockers, but a 1-sided destroy effect that helps only on offense seems out of white's normal bounds. Not that it's a bad thing, just odd.

[Fellfrosch]

Well, what I'm saying is that white has plenty of otherwise off-color effects but can only use them during combat. It's had the ability to destroying attacking creatures before, so destroying blocking creatures seems pretty normal. True, it's something they haven't done exactly before, but it strikes me as in teh right flavor.

A lot of the new effects and cards seem very cool. I'm interested to see the set as a whole.

[Prometheus]

I really like the look of the Mana Geyser card mtgnews posted recently. It requires the opponent to have more than 5 lands tapped before you can get any kind of total mana advantage out of it, but that could be a great late-game mana rush.

I'm also still excited about those Myr Servitor cards. Their ability could make for some very interesting plays. Equip one with a Loxodon Warhammer or other equipment each turn, for instance, and attack with it, then repeat the next turn when it comes back. Add more equipment to handle larger enemy targets.

Although I mentioned the Sparring Collar in conjunction with my desire for first strike equipment earlier, I think the Helm of Kaldra won that argument by a considerable margin.

[Prometheus]

I took a look at things a bit more, and if you want to go to the Prerelease I can probably spot you, Fell.

I know I've been streaky about my article releases, but I cooked up a new Wall-based deck today and I'm going to try to get that out as well as another last-minute commons review before the Prerelease Tournament. So far black and red aren't looking too great in the commons positions, but the other colors are pretty decent.

[Fellfrosch]

Thanks, Prometheus, though I hope you don't feel obligated or anything. It might be a few months before I can pay you back, if that's a problem.

[Prometheus]

Not really. I started working again and so I've got money coming in again. I'm not super-rich or anything, but I can help out with an amount like that easily enough. Besides, it'd be a shame if you attended the first two and missed out on Fifth Dawn.

[Fellfrosch]

Hm. Turns out that day is my father-in-law's birthday, which is both good and bad. It doesn't sound like anything's going on in the morning, and I'll still be able to get to the birthday dinner on time, so that's no problem...the trick will be figuring out how to get to the prerelease on time with my whole family in tow (since they will have to come, drop me off, and then continue on to Provo. And then you'd drive me back to Provo afterward).

[Prometheus]

Going to Provo I can do. Unless some other people are planning to come as well, I'll kind of just be driving. Do you know what time you'd want/need to be back in Provo? Hopefully the flight won't take quite so long this time as last time, but that's a lot to hope for.

We should probably also coordinate our expected arrival time, so that we could enter the flight together and be ready to leave at the same time. I was thinking of getting in line sometime after 8 AM this time, as we were discussing earlier, but those birthday issues might add complications. Let me know.

[fuzzyoctopus]

Kristy, Chris, J.T. and I will all be going.  We will probably carpool with the four of us though.  But just in case anyone really really needs a ride...

[Fellfrosch]

I'm in! I've talked to all the pertinent family members and arranged all the necessary rides and favors, so I'll meet you guys there...7:30? And yes, Prometheus, I will need a ride back to Provo after we're done.